Cooking Salmon In The Grill

Tips For The Best Grilled Salmon Recipe

• Keep a close eye on the salmon while it cooks, since the total cooking time will vary depending on the size and thickness of your fillet, as well as the temperature of your grill. You’ll know that the fish is done when the flesh flakes easily with a fork. You don’t want to overcook it or the salmon will become dry.
• While the FDA recommends cooking fish to 145°F, for a flakier, more moist and tender salmon filet, many chefs find that it’s best enjoyed when it’s cooked to medium 125°F. We don’t usually use a thermometer, but instead look to see that the texture of the fillet flakes easily with a fork and the inside changes from translucent to opaque .
• Grilling the salmon over medium heat gives it that delicious, charred exterior while keeping the inside moist and tender.
• Leave the skin on the salmon when grilling. This adds flavor and moisture, and helps hold the fillets together. It will peel off easily before serving.

Important Points To Remember

Remember, preparing the best grilled salmon is easier said than done. Slight carelessness can result in a salmon that is undercooked and not as good as the dish can be. Before you go about cooking a salmon, keep a few essential tips in mind.

• Avoid overcooking the salmon
• Frequent turning will tear the flesh
• Dont forget to purchase salmon with its skin on

Considering the factors mentioned above will help you in ensuring that the salmon is well-cooked and ready for consumption.

Prep The Grill For Salmon

Make sure your grill is preheated before you put your salmon on it. High heat will help caramelize the fish and add smoky flavor as well as make attractive grill marks. A hot grill will also make for quick cooking so your salmon doesn’t dry out, and will prevent the fish from sticking to the grates.

To further ensure non-stick grilling, give your grates a good scraping with a grill brush to remove any debris from the last cookout, and finish it off with a light swipe of vegetable oil. See Top Tips for Grilling to brush up on your grilling know-how.

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What Is An Indoor Grill

An indoor grill is exactly what it sounds like: A grill that is designed for use indoors. Most models are electric-powered griddles that feature raised ridges on the griddle plate, leaving grill marks on the food as it cooks. The ridges also keep the food elevated from the grease, allowing it to drain off and reducing the overall fat content of the dish. Like electric griddles, they often come with several temperature settings, too.

You can also use a grill pan as an indoor grill. These pans are designed with the same raised ridges as the electric models, but theyre used on your stovetop. Learn more about the most common types of grills.

How To Season Your Salmon

The great thing about BBQ salmon is that its going to taste amazing even with a simple seasoning of salt and pepper. But, if you want to be more creative with your flavorings, you can also try the following savory seasoning combinations that are sure to make your mouth water.

• Lemon Salmon: lemon, kosher salt, pepper, butter.

• Cilantro Lime Salmon: chopped cilantro, lime, kosher salt, pepper, honey, chopped cloves.

• Spicy Sriracha-Glazed Salmon: sriracha, lemon juice, honey.

• Soy-Glazed Salmon: soy sauce, honey, mustard, and lemon juice.

• Salmon with Homemade Barbecue Sauce: lemon, garlic, brown sugar, soy sauce, water, and olive oil.

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How Long To Grill Salmon In Foil

Wrapping foil around a piece in packet style is the best method to grill a fish. Foil traps the moisture inside, so your salmon comes out juicy and flaky, not dry.

Grilling salmon in foil is also better because of indirect infrared cooking. If you grill salmon on a gas grill without foil, most cooking is done by convection Indirect infrared grilling doesnât release the sealed juice inside the salmon, resulting in a perfect, fishy taste.

Salmon in foil should be grilled over medium heat at around 375 to 400 degrees for a perfect taste. Once you set the burners or charcoal to medium heat, close the lid and let the salmon cook for 14-18 minutes. The estimated cooking time works if your pieces are one inch thick, and if theyâre half an inch, reduce the time to half. Similarly, for a two-inch thick piece of salmon, you would have to grill for another 14-18 minutes on the other side of the salmon. You can make adjustments to your grilling time by remembering the one-inch thickness as the yardstick.

Before taking salmon out, always ensure that its internal temperature is at least 137-140 degrees Fahrenheit.

Satisfying Salmon All The Way

If you feel stumped about what to make for dinner, salmon is an option thats hard not to love: It usually cooks up quickly, you can flavor it in many ways and its always delicious. When the weathers just right, grilling salmon is a must. The hardest part of making grilled salmon is picking a recipe. Lucky for you, we have recipes for cedar plank salmon, , BBQ salmon and more. And for those days when you cant or dont want to fire up the outdoor grill, cook your salmon on a cast-iron grill pan for that char-grilled taste you love without setting foot outside!

Get the Recipe: Indoor-Grilled Salmon

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Can You Grill Salmon Indoors

If you dont have a grill, you can still cook a grill-like salmon indoors. Cook the salmon in a preheated cast-iron skillet to get a similar sear to what youll find on the grill. Or take advantage of your broiler. Its essentially a reverse grill, where the heating element is on top of the food instead of the bottom. After preheating the broiler to high, position the salmon four inches below the element. Then, cook it according to the recipe above, flipping it halfway through.

Siennas Savory Summertime Salmon

• PREPARATION TIME :

Thank you Jr. Chef Sienna Alexandra Murray for creating this delicious recipe and for being a part of our 3rd annual Grace Jr Chef competition! We at Grace are very proud of the excellent dishes this next generation created.

INGREDIENTS:

3, 4oz pieces of salmon 1 tbsp of Grace Fish and Meat Sauce 2 tbsp of Grace Jerk Seasoning 2 tbsp of Grace Jerk Barbecue Sauce

1 ½ cups of rice 1 ½ cups of Grace 100% Pure Coconut Water 1 ¼ cups of Grace Coconut Milk

Mango & Avocado Salsa

½ cup of red pepper ¼ cup of cilantro ¼ cup of red onions 1 tbsp of Grace 100% Pure Coconut Water 1 tbsp of fresh lime juice 1 tbsp of olive oil ¼ tsp of sea salt 1 red onion diced 1/3 jar of sliced Kalamata olives 1 carrot shaved 1 bottle of Greek feta salad dressing

DIRECTIONS:

if you liked this recipe, try…

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How To Make The Best Grilled Salmon

Follow these easy grilling tips for THE BEST, easy grilled salmon recipe thats about to become your new favorite healthy summertime dinner.

This recipe is brought to you by Weber Grills

There may not be another summertime recipe that hits our grill more often than this one, and that alone has made my husband the master of his domaine: cooking salmon on the grill.

My main man GDawg has years of experience perfecting the recipe for grilling a simple, bare-bones salmon. Although to be honest, it isnt as much a recipe as it is method. Either which way, this salmon truly is the best because its easy, fast, healthy and flavorful.

No matter what skill level of griller you claim to be, my mans tips make it easy to take command of the charcoal and serve up a moist and silky salmon dinner that wont turn chalky and overcooked or leave half your fillet stuck to the grill.

Heres how he does it.

How Long Should Salmon Be Cooked On Each Side

The general rule of thumb is to cook salmon for six to eight minutes at 450-500 degrees F per inch thickness of salmon. If your salmon is one inch thick, you donât need to flip the sides. Just place the fillets on the cooking grates and remember the time mentioned above and the temperature guidelines.

If your salmon is two inches thick, you should flip the sides after six to eight minutes. Place the salmon skin-side down on the cooking grates and grill until golden brown for six to eight minutes. Now flip the salmon using a spatula and cook for another six to eight minutes. If you allow this much time for each side of the fish, it cooks to perfection and detaches easily from the grates.

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What To Serve With Grilled Salmon

Do you have a favorite grilling recipe, or a tip youd like to add? Leave a comment in the section and share below.

This post is sponsored by Weber Grills. As always, thank you for reading and supporting companies I partner with, which allows me to create more unique content and recipes for you. There are affiliate links in this post of which I receive a small commission. All opinions are always my own.

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How To Grill Salmon: Perfect Grilled Salmon Recipe

Learn how to grill salmon perfectly with this easy grilled salmon recipe! Get all the best tips and tricks for buttery, flaky salmon fillets that won’t stick.

This post may contain affiliate links, which help keep this content free.

• How To Grill Salmon: Perfect Grilled Salmon Recipe

This easy grilled salmon recipe is the only one youll ever need! Im sharing all the tips for how to cook salmon on the grill , including what kind of salmon to buy, the best tools, tips to prevent sticking and avoiding dry salmon, and answering all the grilling questions you might have.

Try serving your grilled salmon fillet with a sauce or serve it all on its own. Simple and delicious!

If you love salmon, be sure to also try salmon lox, salmon patties, baked salmon, air fryer salmon, and salmon foil packets.

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Essential Tools We Recommend

For starters, youll need to decide the right type of grill for your cooking stylegas or charcoal. You cant go wrong with the Napoleon 18-inch Charcoal Kettle grill if cooking over briquettes or lump charcoal is in your future. If you decided to go for gas grills, look to the Weber Spirit II E-310. Short on patio space? Go portable with the Weber Q 1200 portable gas grill.

Its also helpful to have a thin, long-handled spatula and a pair of long grill tongs for greasing the grill grates.

How To Cook Salmon For A Salmon Salad Recipe

There are three recommended ways to cook salmon for this recipe:

• Oven: Place fillets on a greased baking sheet. Bake 400 until cooked through, about 11 to 15 minutes.
• Stovetop: Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Sear salmon on both sides until cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes per side.
• Grill: Preheat a gas grill to 400 degrees. Brush salmon lightly with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill about 3 to 5 minutes on each side until cooked through.

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How To Grill Salmon Perfectly

• Make grilled salmon marinade. Find the directions and amounts for salmon marinade here.
• Pat salmon dry with paper towels. Place the salmon and marinade into a large zip lock bag or bowl. Marinate for 30 minutes.

• Grill salmon skin side down. Preheat the grill to medium-high heat, with the lid closed. Remove salmon from the marinade and place onto grill, skin side down. Close the grill and cook for 6-8 minutes.

TIP: Cook skin side down until salmon is 80% done. Its ready to flip when the salmon color turns lighter pink and doesnt stick when you try to flip it.

• Flip and grill on the other side. Use a fish spatula to carefully flip the salmon. Grill for another few minutes, until cooked to desired level of doneness.

• Rest. Let the salmon rest for 3-5 minutes before serving.

What Is The Best Salmon For Grilling

• The best salmon for grilling are fillets with the skin on one side. The skin protects the fish while cooking and naturally releases fat onto the grate making the fish easier to flip.
• You can chose between wild-caught varieties, with a stronger salmony taste, and farmed, often labeled Atlantic salmon, which has the mildest taste. Both are healthy. Keep in mind, wild-caught is less fatty and tends to cook more quickly.

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Helpful Tips And Possible Substitutes

• Try it with another type of fish that cooks up firm and flakey.
• For a creamier richer salmon salad replace the Greek yogurt and olive oil with 6 Tbsp mayonnaise.
• If youd like to add a lightly charred flavor you can briefly roast the bell pepper over a gas stove or under the broiler of the oven to blacken it. Let it cool before chopping and adding.
• Feel free to toss in other suitable ingredients such as chopped baby dill pickles or capers.
• You could also substitute chopped seeded cucumber for the celery.
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions works in place of the red onion.

Ways To Prevent Sticking To The Grill

Some people complain about salmon sticking to the grill. The biggest contributor to that problem? Dont try to turn it too soon! When the salmon is cooked just enough, it releases from the grill grates, making it easy to flip. But if you touch it before that time, it can stick and break apart. You dont need to oil the grill grates. Just lightly oil the fish, and when cooking wait until the salmon is easy to release . Then its easy to flip!

Another tip: make sure to cook with skin on salmon. This helps it to stay together on the grill. Salmon with the skin off easily sticks to the grill. We dont recommend using it here.

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Best Salmon For Grilling

There are over seven types of salmon that you would likely buy from the store. Some are in short supply, however, and may even be considered a delicacy.

While the names for each type vary , all are appropriate for grilling:

• Coho Salmon: Also known as Silver Salmon, it is a deep red fish with a mild flavor.
• Pink Salmon: This fish is the type you often find in the canned goods aisle. It is smaller, lower in fat, and also goes by Humpback Salmon.
• Sockeye Salmon: This fish is red-skinned, firm, and has a stronger flavor. It is higher in fat than most other varieties.
• Chum Salmon: Dont let the name fool you. While this fish is lean and can dry out while cooking, it has excellent flavor. Its also called Keta or Dog Salmon.
• King Salmon: This giant fish is full of fat and flavor. You can also find it under the name Chinook Salmon.
• Atlantic Salmon: While fishing this Atlantic-born fish is prohibited, its often farm-raised for commercial sale which means it may be higher in PCBs. It is also called the Salmo Salar.
• Masu Salmon : You wont find this fish native to the U.S., and getting it may be difficult. Its considered an imported delicacy with a high fat content.

Which of these can you grill successfully? The higher the fat content, the more forgiving the fish will be. You can cook it slightly longer without the fear of it drying out.

Grilled Salmon In Foil

If you’re looking to cook a large fillet of salmon on the grill, wrap it in foil! It’s much easier to manage this way, and you’ll get a tender piece of fish that is impressive looking. This method takes about 14 to 18 minutes. Heres how to grill salmon in foil:

• Heat the grill to medium-high heat. On my grill, medium-high is at 375 to 400 degrees F.
• Place the salmon in a large piece of foil and fold over. Spread a big piece of heavy-duty foil over a baking sheet so you can easily carry the salmon from the kitchen to the grill. Lightly brush the foil with olive oil so the salmon doesnt stick. Arrange a few slices of lemon or orange on the foil. Season the fish well with kosher salt on both sides and put it in the center of the foil.
• Season the fish. After salting the fish, use the seasoning or marinade of your choice . I used the like to use a marinade with foil-cooked salmon, it is a great way to add flavor and keep the salmon nice and moist .
• Seal the edges of the foil to enclose the salmon and poke a few small holes at the top so the steam can escape.
• Grill the salmon. Place the foil pouch on the hot grill and close the lid. Cook the salmon for 14 to 18 minutes, depending on how thick your salmon fillet is. Check doneness at around 14 minutes for a thin piece of fish. Thicker fillets will take a few minutes more.

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